by Maarten Hendrik Liefrink

So I finally did it ... Saturday I travelled with two other insane timba lovers from the Netherlands to Paris by car (about 400 kilometres) to meet another insane geek (Arno) for PFG.

We arrived just on time for the concert, that eventually started right on time ... about half an hour later :-)))

After PFG had finished (2:30 a.m.), we stayed another hour dancing to great timba music from the DJ, before we would drive another 400 kilometres back to the Netherlands ...

Before I will drive another 130 kilometres back to Belgium tonight for the NG la Banda concert, I will get a few hours sleep ...

But not before I post "only a few comments" of a -really-really-really- *** G-R-E-A-T *** concert of "El Sofocador in person".

Although I saw Paulito once before in Berlin about a year ago AND I have heard many different recordings of him performing live (so I was prepared for a stunning night of live music) ... I still cannot believe what I witnessed only a few hours before ...

Paulito was IMHO at his best !!!!!!!

He did a lot of "Pa'l piso" and "Elevador" :-)))

Then this really great choice of songs from his oeuvre ...

First part:

1. El tumbao de Lola

2. De La Habana

3. Chan chan

4. Un montón de estrellas

5. Tú no me calculas

6. Sofocación

Second part:

7. Son de un amigo

8. Dunno ... new song ?

9. Entre dos amigos

10. Te deseo suerte (balada version)

11. El más buscado

12. Me gusta tanto

Extra part:

13. Dunno ... new song ?

He did a great version of "De La Habana" that I have heard only once before on a live recording I have (2001-Celebración del 9 aniversario de La Élite en El Copa Room) ... kinda reggae-rap version with his male corista doing the reggae-rap part ...

"Chan chan" was introduced as a homenaje a Compay Segundo ... very nice little improvisations as the song continued ...

His male corista did "Un montón de estrellas" like he did in Berlin before ... I personally do not like it (nor his voice in this song) too much ... while PFG "worked" on the güiro ...

... and then we were surprised with "Tú no no me calculas" and ***** "Sofocación" *****

As if the gods had become cruel with us, the DJ's tortured us with terrible music during the break ... we suffered the worst of e.g. GilbertoSR's, Willie Chirino's and Victor Manuelle's

BUT being this only the break, there was definitely a lot more to come after this before PFG would leave us this night ...

How true !!!!

IMHO he sometimes seemed to struggle singing the higher ranges (especially in the first part) ... BUT in the second part it was PFG at his very best ... voice, energy, improvisation, the band was tremendous ... this time I was far more impressed by the percussion including this S-U-P-E-R bass playing than I had been in Berlin !!!

It all sounded so ................... T-I-M-B-A esque !!!!

Just to use the absolute understatement possible !!!! :-)))))

The second song after the break ... dunno ... the lyrics tell "La vida es profunda ... hay olas bajas ... hay olas altas" and he quoted "la vida es un cachumbambé" ...

His male corista and PFG did a great "Entre dos amigos" together ...

After a beautiful balada version of "Te deseo suerte", there was another song I did not know where the lyrics tell "Ella te busca porque tiene problemas ... pero no te llena" ...

The night really klimaxed (and maybe some did as well :-)))) with "Me gusta tanto" ... must have been an about 20 minutes version !!!

... and Y-E-S !!!!! "como me gustó a mí", this piece of vintage timba !!!!!!!!!!!

If I only could describe the entire scene of insanity that took place on stage ...

PFG himself - the percussion part - the metales - the whole band seemed to explode ... AND SO DID MY HEAD EVENTUALLY ... I keep asking myself, "were these human beings, or what ???"

... this GREAT conguero --this semi-God also had his 25th birthday that night-- and the other percussionists FINALLY did exactly what they are normally ordered to and should do ==> "rómpelo todo" ...

... the bass player ... how did he manage to keep his instrument in one piece, how come he did not loose all the strings while "playing" AND why did not he loose all the skin from his hands after all this bomba sliding ????

... figure what, the metales still had their lungs left in their chests !!!

At one part during this last song PFG went "Pa'l piso" at the very front of the stage and seemed to stay down there, as he seemed not to get the "elevador" up again ... of course he did it on purpose ...

He started moving on the floor towards the girls in the front row, one got to him, and managed to "work up" his legs from the feet upwards, and got at and UNDER his shirt ... then he quickly moved back and rose to his feet, to continue the song ...

I believe it was here there was the audience participation part "Manos arriba los solteros, no tienen compromiso, no tienen porque pedir permiso", he showed his hand with his wedding ring hidden, as to say/show "no tengo tampoco porque pedir permiso" and kinda flirted with the girls at the front.

After he "had finished", he came back once with another song that I do not know. Could it be "Ella es un ventilador" ? ... the lyrics continue with "... para ella soy el mejor ...", and then he proved to be "el mejor" by doing (I dunno, could it have been about 30 or 40 ???) push-ups on stage ...

After the concert, the DJ's now provided us with great timba music.

I'll recover a bit now only to be prepared for TONIGHT !!!